


Earthen Vessel

by Exaigon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Anterograde Amnesia, I present to thee... My OC, Jasper the Amnesiac, Multi, No Spoilers till we get there!, Rating May Change, Tags Updated With Appropriate Chapters, character bias, unreliable narrators
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29279037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exaigon/pseuds/Exaigon
Summary: Jasper has been on his own for... well, he's pretty sure he's twelve now so, a while. Not that he wanted it to be that way. In fact, he was rather determined to get back to the family he was separated from. It was just really hard when new memories didn't tend to stick around for very long. Speaking of... what had he just been doing?ORJasper struggles through the Hunter Exam to get access to a license so he can use it in his quest to reunite with his long lost family. He meets new people (that he forgets), makes new friends (that he forgets), and creates plenty of exceedingly awesome memories (that he forgets)!
Relationships: TBD - Relationship
Comments: 10
Kudos: 25





	1. Those Lost

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [What Was Needed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12457293) by [Serenechaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenechaos/pseuds/Serenechaos). 



> Hey folks! I absolutely should not be starting a new story but my mind does what it wants. It is now entirely hyper fixated on Hunter x Hunter. So I've created this monster... Which, now that I think about it, is the first fic with an OC main. Hm.
> 
> Just to warn you! For the Harry Potter fans, yes- there will be Harry Potter but probably not in the way you think. It will be minimal while also being... a pretty key aspect? Also, yes, that key aspect is Harry himself! But, I'm not going to tell you how he is involved because spoilers. I'm going to aim for writing a fic that has a bit of mystery to it! We'll... see how long it lasts.
> 
> This fic was heavily inspired by Serenechaos' "What Was Needed" and does draw a lot of elements from it (so those that have read their wonderful, absolutely amazing story might know a bit more than others) but I do have the author's permission to use their work. So, please don't talk to me about plagiarism. It'll show up in later chapters more than now but I'd like to give the warning.
> 
> This work will be based more around the manga while drawing some scenes and inspiration from the anime! So... don't expect my dialogue to be exact or anything. It might be close but that does get boring after a while.
> 
> Anyway! Sorry for the long note, they probably won't be like this in the future. Have fun my pretties! Mwaha! (I honestly hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed plotting it.)

Tonpa’s eyes twitched when the newest rookie spat out his laxative laced juice, prompting the other two to dump their own cans. What was with the rookies this year? There were so few of them that were falling for his normally effective trick. They were all irritating, arrogant little snots…

Not that he’d ever let any of that show on his face, of course. No, instead he allowed a nervous expression to tug at his features. “My apologies,” he gulped nervously, clasping his hands together and bowing to really sell the show. “I had no idea the juice was expired! Er, how could you tell?”

The smallest one blinked at him with a bright grin. He couldn’t wait to see it crushed, smile falling into despair as he was stabbed in the back. That’s what this idiot should get for trusting so blindly. This kid was the best type to mess with even if they annoyed him to no end with naivety. “That’s alright! I used to taste a lot of herbs and buds on my home island so I can usually tell when something is bad. It’s a good thing that I drank first!”

That response just made his nervous expression a bit more genuine. Why’d it have to be some backwater mountain child? A small bead of sweat gathered on his brow. He couldn’t allow these strange newbies to throw him off his game. Come hell or high water they’d be destroyed or his name wasn’t Tonpa the Rookie Crusher! 

“Y-yes! All the better. Er, oh look! Another contestant,” he hummed turning to the elevator. He’d honestly thought these last guys were cutting it close but he wasn’t always the best at guessing when phases would start. It all depended on the examiner after all. “I should go say hello!”

“Oh, that’s really nice of you, Tonpa! I’ll go with you. Kurapika, Leorio, would you like to come?”

The aforementioned men gave Tonpa a narrowed eye stare that made Tonpa clench his teeth. But eventually they agreed and their small group made it to the short figure right as they were pinning the #406 badge to their robe. He gave the figure a once over. They were small, practically swallowed under the beige desert robe that was covering them entirely; except for the bony hands and painfully thin wrists that were soon swallowed in the folds as their arms fell to their sides. 

“Hello there,” Tonpa greeted with false warmth, trying to peer into the black void under the hood. Could they possibly be another child? There were already two of them in this exam so far. What a weird year, strange rookies and a bunch of kids. There _was_ a chance it was just a small adult but those hands... “Looks like you’re new to the exam! My name is Tonpa-”

“And I’m Gon,” the small boy at his side exclaimed, bouncing forward to peer closer, a large grin on his face. He gave a happy wave which was hesitantly returned, displaying that thin hand and wrist again. Yea, no. Definitely a kid and most likely an underfed one.

Tonpa couldn’t stop the eye twitch. He cleared his throat. “Right. Right! I can’t help but notice I’ve never seen you before. I was just helping these rookies out-”

“Aw! That’s nice of you! Hi, I’m Jasper- you can call me Jas. I’m definitely not going to remember you in a few minutes.”

One of the rookie’s -probably the middle aged business man- behind him spluttered while the other teen muttered, “Well, that was blunt.” 

And Tonpa couldn't really find it in himself to disagree. And he’d thought the green one was bad enough!

“Why do you say that,” Gon asked, interrupting before Tonpa could even get a word out. Obviously with this kid around he wasn’t going to get anything done! Fine. He could take this loss and just stomp on the brat later. He had plenty of time and if by some miracle the kids made it past the first round, more time for him to work his magic. Besides, the phase should be starting up pretty soon after all.

“Because I have a terrible memory! Speaking of!” A phone was pulled out of the clutches of the robe and brought up to the kid’s face. Then they started typing just as an alarm went off catching everyone’s attention. Tonpa glanced over, keeping the latest rookie within his peripherals. That there looked like an examiner!

Tonpa grinned. Show time.

* * *

Jasper hummed as he finished typing a bold ‘FOLLOW PURPLE HAIR’ on his phone before placing it back in his pouch, tucked on his hip beneath his robe. He was absolutely determined to not forget what he was doing during the Hunter Exam. It was too bad he was already off to a horrible start, having almost not made it on time. He couldn’t remember exactly what he forgot but… it had cost him a lot of time and he’d only barely followed behind the group that had… er… what had he said his name was again? Well, it’s fine. He was better with colors anyways and that kid was green all over the pace which made following him easy.

Greenie and his group had made it so… following him should be safe right? It’d be easier to remember than having to check his phone for what he had forgotten anyhow. Probably. For a while anyway. It just really sucked that today was turning out to be a bad day already.

He scanned the people around him, not paying too much attention to details, because he wasn’t going to remember them anyway, so what was the point? But that didn’t mean that people couldn’t be important for him to use in the present! Like following greenie had led him here! 

And, oops, he’d almost forgotten to move, he was so focused on remembering the instruction to follow. So, follow he did. Which was immediately noticed.

“Oh! Hello Jas! Are you going to stay with us?” Greenie seemed super nice. Bad trait for him to have but potentially really useful for him to use, especially right now. The other two seemed much more suspicious of him. Hm, was that why they stuck around? Were they protectors of some sort? Then if he could just get greenie to trust him, he should be fine until he had gotten some rest! Then he could- he could… finish what he came here to do? What had he come here to do?

“Jas? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” He blinked at the face in front of him. Greenie was walking backwards now, face leaning far too close to his own for comfort. He squawked in surprise and almost fell backwards. A firm hand fell on his shoulder and Greenie let out an apologetic laugh. “Sorry!”

“No, it’s ok. It’s my fault… I think.” He shooed the hand away from his shoulder, extremely uncomfortable with the contact. Greenie didn’t seem to be bothered at all by it, thankfully.

“Are you really letting this kid hang around, Gon? He seems a little… erm-” That was the tall one. Drab colors. He’d be extremely difficult to remember. How unfortunate as that normally pissed people off. Oh, well. There was more than one guard after all.

“It’s fine! He’s a good guy!”

“If Gon thinks it’s fine, then leave it.” Blonde. Also in darker colors with a bit of white thrown in. He… might be able to remember this one. If it was any other day- “Oh, that’s strange.”

Drab looked confused and Greenie glanced at his two guards, curiosity written all over his face. 

“What’s happening? Everyone seems so rushed,” Drab complained, glancing this way and that.

“I was right! The rhythm is getting progressively faster,” Blonde said seriously, starting to run along with the rest of the crowd.

“Oh! The ones in the front have started running,” Greenie exclaimed, flipping around so he was facing forward again as he too started to run. “C’mon Leorio, Jas! Let’s go.”

Jasper blinked and followed. He’d heard the guard’s name but… well, not important. What was important, though- “Why are we running?”

“Are you seriously asking that!?” Ah, so Drab was a hot-head.

“I have a bad memory,” he helpfully explained. He needed them to like him after all if he was going to use them to… to do…. Whatever he had set out to do today. He should check his phone. He usually wrote what was needed on it. 

“Is your memory really that bad,” Blonde asked, sending a frown his way.

“Yup!”

“Then why are you taking the Hunter Exams!?”

“Aha! That’s what I’m doing,” Jasper exclaimed gleefully. “The Hunter Exams! Thanks for the reminder!”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?”

Wow. Drab was seriously going to hurt himself if he kept up like that. Anger wasn’t good for you… or something like that. But he supposed there was no harm in telling them. “I’m taking the Hunter exams to find my family. There’s lots of information available that I can use with a License!... I think.”

As Drab went into another fit of disbelief and anger, Jasper turned his attention instead to Greenie who was laughing. That was a much better reaction. Safer. “That’s really neat, Jas. I’m doing the same thing. My dad is a Hunter and I wanna know what it was like for him. Then I’m going to find him!”

Oh. Well, he’d never met anyone that had the same goal as him before. That was actually… really cool. He glanced over at Greenie again, trying to take in the details. The green was honestly what stood out the most, but he also had a fishing rod on his back which was a notable identifier too. Beyond that though, Greenie was sort of plain; brown eyes, black hair, round child-like face. It was a pity but he’d try his best to remember him if only for the novelty of meeting someone like him.

And considering that novelty and how rare it was -he knew of no others by the way- Jasper would do his best to make sure that Greenie liked him while they were still around each other! “In all fairness to you… I’m not going to remember that.”

Greenie laughed. “That’s okay! I can just keep reminding you!”

Perfect! That was absolutely what he needed. If Greenie could just keep telling him what he needed to know every time he forgot then his day would be set. Jasper opened his mouth to reply, a big smile pulling at his lips, before he was cut off by some rude stranger running next to them.

“That’s really dangerous, you know. If you keep forgetting things how are you going to pass the exam?”

“And who are you?”

He watched the muscle in the stranger’s cheek twitch as they closed their eyes. “This is exactly why it’s dangerous. I’ve been here the whole time and you’ve already forgotten me. It’s even worse than I thought,” the blonde haired boy muttered.

Jasper blinked and tried to dig into his flickering memories. It was dark, it was cold, there was a steak, then he met Greenie… Mm, nope he didn’t remember at all.

“This is Kurapika,” Greenie cut in cheerfully. “He’s been with us this whole time. And this is Leorio,” Jasper dragged his eyes away from the blonde, over to a middle aged looking man. He looked like someone he’d pickpocket on the street. How drab. Hm. That’s a good name for this guy. As for the other one… his most notable feature was his hair. So. Blondie. “And I’m Gon!”

Jasper nodded a few times absentmindedly. He definitely wasn’t going to remember them but greenie-er, Gon?- was important for his continued success. He should probably at least try… but really on a day like today was it even worth the effort?

Meh. Fair warnings should be given.

“I’m not going to remember that.”

“Stop saying that,” Drab shrieked from behind them as the pace continued to increase. At the rate he was slowly falling behind, Jasper honestly didn’t think Drab was going to make it to wherever they were going. How long were they going to be running for?

There was a voice from up front that suddenly spoke up, barely drowning out the sound of hundreds of running feet slapping at the ground. “Oh, yes. I forgot to mention. I am Satotz, your first phase examiner and I am to lead you to the second phase.” There were a few rumbles from multiple people- he couldn’t understand them for how quiet they were, not that he cared to- but they were soon cut off as Satotz spoke again. “The first phase has already begun. If you’re able to follow me to where the second phase is located, you’ll have passed the first test. I can’t tell you where or when we’ll arrive. You must be content with following me.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard,” Jasper hummed, tugging his hood down lower so it wouldn’t fly off his head with the subtle pace increase. He’d just have to focus on remembering to follow the examiner… who he totally didn’t remember. What did the guy look like again? He’d definitely seen him… probably.

“An endurance test,” Drab huffed. “I’m down! Where he goes, I go!”

“This test is weird,” Greenie said at the same time blondie muttered something under his breath.

Not a moment later someone shot by him, almost knocking into his arm as they bypassed Greenie and Drab. Drab immediately responded with offense, telling the… kid? Yea, definitely another kid. That was pretty cool! He didn’t often get the chance to see kids around his own age. Oh, right, Drab was telling him that riding his wheeled board wasn’t allowed. What was that thing anyway? He’d never seen anything like it… that he remembered anyway.

It’s possible he had seen it before but it wasn’t ringing any bells. Must not be too important even if it looked like a lot of fun.

“Why?” 

Jasper turned his attention back to the kid instead of the thing he was riding. He sounded bored, with maybe a hint of curiosity? Or perhaps Jasper was pushing his own emotions into this interaction. Because… he’d like to know why too.

“Why!? Because it’s an endurance test! That’s cheating!” Drab really seemed like he needed anger management. What a hot-head.

Greenie piped up, stealing Jasper’s -admittedly flighty- attention. “No, it’s not. He just said we have to follow him, didn’t he?”

Right. They were following someone and it was important.

“Whose side are you on, Gon!?”

“You should just drop it, Leorio,” Blondie sighed. Huh. Jasper had almost forgotten about him. He was a quiet one, wasn’t he? “You’re just being noisy now. You should conserve energy-”

“Hey. Why are we running again?”

“SERIOUSLY!?”

“We’re following the examiner for Phase One of the Hunter Exam,” Greenie dutifully explained with a grin.

“Hey thanks,” Jasper responded happily. He knew that Greenie would have his back! After all, they were both hunting family!

“Hey, you two.”

Jasper glanced at the boy on the wheeled board who had called for their attention. He had striking white hair and deep blue eyes. Huh… those eyes actually reminded him of Ma. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be forgetting this kid, or at least not his eyes, any time soon. Not to mention that he seemed strong for his age! Jasper couldn’t exactly put his finger on what it was but there was definitely something about Whitey that was giving off danger vibes.

“How old are you guys?”

Jasper blinked but readily answered. There was no harm in it after all. “I’m twelve.”

“I’m almost twelve,” Greenie chirped. “Wow! Jas, I didn’t know we were so close in age!”

How old did the boy think he was? He wasn’t that much shorter than him!

“Just like me,” Whitey murmured. “Alright. I’ll run too.”

There was a ‘tak’ and suddenly the other boy was hopping up into the air, the wheeled board beneath him flipping up as well. It was neatly caught in one pale hand and Jasper couldn’t help but admire the skill that probably went into that. 

“Cool!” It seemed Greenie couldn’t help but to admire it as well. Maybe this boy would be another one to keep around? But he didn’t seem nearly so gullible or helpful as Gon. He’d probably have to give the boy a really good reason. Hm.

“I’m Killua.”

“Gon!”

Oh, there were introductions. Was he included in this? Whitey had called out to them both, right? He was remembering that correctly? 

“And you?” 

“Oh, Jasper.” So, he did remember! Weird thing to remember… Maybe it had to do with the eyes? They were really sticking with him! Whatever, he couldn’t control his brain. But he should probably warn Whitey about himself. If he stuck around, all the better, if he didn’t… well, not like it mattered. “I won’t remember you in a few minutes.”

Whitey frowned at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I have a bad memory,” he stated blandly.

“I’ve been reminding him why we’re here,” Gon laughed.

“Oh. Is that why you asked why we were running earlier?”

Jasper tilted his head in thought. “I asked that?”

“Huh. You’re weird.” There was a smile on Whitey’s face so Jasper took no offence. “And what about you, mister?”

This was directed to a man dressed in a very drab suit running next to Gon. Jasper turned his head to look at him. Had he been there the whole time? Well, it wasn’t any wonder that he’d hardly noticed him considering how boring and dull his attire was. But still… why was Whitey including him? Was this someone that Jasper had forgotten?

“Oi! I’m not that old! I’m from the same generation as you!”

All four of them skidded to a stop.

There was a vague thought of ‘ _Oh, a hot head_ ,’ floating in the back of his mind but mostly his brain had frozen in absolute shock because- What!? There was no way this guy with rough facial hair, dorky looking glasses, and dressed in a suit made for the most boring people in the world, could be from the same generation! That would make Mr. Drab a teenager at the oldest and he refused to believe that!

“Are you sure!?” Thank you Greenie for voicing his thoughts because his own vocals were petrified. Just… just how!?

“Argh! That’s it, Gon! I’m finished talking to you,” Mr. Drab screeched, and yea… definitely had a temper this one. It was probably best to just… forget this entire thing had happened.

Almost mechanically, Jasper turned away and started running again… or maybe sprinting was better. The faster he was away, the better. In this instance he was glad that he’d be forgetting that encounter really soon. Instead, he just focused on running and running and running and running and… 

Why was he running again?

Jasper frowned. He was running in a group of people and he was obviously here for a reason. And it obviously had to do with finding his family because… why else would he be doing something like this? From the gentle burn starting in his legs, he’d been running for a while but he just couldn’t figure out why he’d be… just running. And in a crowd at that. He hated being so close to people and larger groups always made him nervous. Especially because they were all adults! Why was he running in a cluster of adult males!?

Jasper took a sharp breath in and held it, before letting it slowly. Panic was never a good thing. He just needed to think.

There was always something that he did when he was confused like this. Because sadly these bad days were becoming more common than he’d truly like. There wasn’t much he could do about that except… except… maybe writing it down? But where could he write- 

Oh! His phone! With a giddy excitement filling his chest at remembering that crucial detail, Jasper reached into his pouch. Mentally, he patted his less forgetful self on the back for always having his own back. The pouch was the only place he could store things so he couldn’t possibly forget where he put it. There were a few other things in there that he paid no attention too, instead latching onto the slim brick that was his phone.

He pulled it out and held it out in front of him, looking over the set up quickly. He couldn’t quite remember how to turn it on so he just started pressing buttons until the screen lit up. He grinned at it. There was nothing else on the screen except for a red notebook so he tapped it, opening up his most recent notes.

HUNTER EXAM 

_Get on boat_

_Listen to Captain. Captain has biggest hat._

_Get to Zaban City_

_Do not get on busses_

_Find other examinees?_

_Made it. Don’t forget Hunter Exams!_

_FOLLOW PURPLE HAIR_

That was it? Okay so he was doing the Hunter Exam… probably for information. Every goal he had was to get back to his family and a Hunter License would certainly help. But… who was purple hair? Is that why everyone was running-

“Oof!” Jasper slammed into someone’s back, sending his phone flying out of his hands as he twisted around them so he wouldn’t fall onto his butt and lose momentum. He fumbled to catch it but instead sent it spinning forward through the air as he knocked it with the back of his hand. It smacked into a wild tuft looking head of red hair. Then it was snatched out of the air by a pale hand tipped with some rather sharp looking nails and-

Oh. What- what was that feeling? It made his stomach churn and bile build in his throat and-

“Hey, watch it rookie!”

His eyes darted back to the man he’d bumped into and he couldn’t help but frown. He was a short squat man with scruff on his face and a nasty sneer hidden in his eyes, with a gleeful tilt to his mouth. Automatically he marked this- his eyes darted down to the numbered badge as everything else was unremarkable about him- #16 as a threat. Maybe not a major one... But he honestly hoped he remembered this later. Why couldn’t he have a normal brain?

“Don’t just stop in front of people then, gramps,” Jasper huffed, completely put out by this situation.

“Gramps!? Hey, you little-”

Ignoring the grasping hands and irritated face, he slipped away from the annoying man and sped back up to catch up with the crowd. He needed to… to… what exactly was he doing before? He’d been checking his phone, right?

His hand slipped down to his pouch but it wasn’t there. Where…?

His stomach lurched and that horrible feeling came back, making black spots dance in front of him as his head pounded. 

“I believe you owe me an apology, little rat~.”

“Ah.” That’s right. It had slipped from his fingers and this man- this man that was suddenly right next to him- in his space!

How was he running bent over like that!?

Thankfully, while his brain was stuck on the invasion of personal space and the painful looking running position, his auto-mouth kicked in with a small, “Sorry.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound very sincere~! Want to try again?”

Jasper couldn’t help the hitch in his stride as his muscles started clenching on their own. His breath caught in his throat and his heart started beating a mile a minute as that horrible sickening feeling grew stronger. He’d never felt like this before! Never! What was this!?

It was like he was losing control of his body! Nothing made sense except the need to run and run but he was already running! He was running and it didn’t stop, he was running and it was still there, the jaws of a predator, sharp teeth, warm blood dripping and dripping-

It felt like death incarnate was standing next to him and nothing would ever be okay again- 

He was back in the dark, and the hands, and the screams-

He’d never find his family because he’d be dead- 

His lungs hurt, his limbs hurt, he hurt, hurt, hurt-


	2. A Good Find

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a clown on the hunt, Jasper gets a scare, and Gon claims his new friends officially!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go folks! Second chapter and the start of me throwing even more POV's in to compensate for Jasper's, er... less than ideal mental state. Don't worry he won't be like this forever! Only... a while. *Nervously looks at chapter five still being written* Okay... a little longer than a while? It'll get better I swear! *throws many more POVs at ya'll*

He was slightly disappointed so far. This year, just like the last, had no interesting fruits to be plucked, though he was still holding out hope for a few unripe ones to show up. But the rest… why, they were all just rotten or overripe! Just his luck…

Well, if nothing else his very~ good friend, Illumi, was here to brighten his day. And the tiny untouchable fruit that was his brother was wandering somewhere in the crowd too, of course. But no matter how much he wanted to go looking, to assess the potential of that forbidden fruit, doing so outside of the parameters of the Hunter Exam Phases would just set off Illumi… and as much fun as he’d get out of a true fight from that one-! It really wasn’t worth it because then he’d just have unhappy Zoldycks after him. He wanted glorious, visceral fights, not to be hunted like a wolf, thank you very much.

As the exam began- and it turned out to be something very boring for the first phase, ugh- Hisoka decided to start searching a different way. If he had scared the little fruits into hiding with his earlier show, well, then he’d just have to sniff them out. He started with gentle bursts of Ren (causing quite a few contestants to trip over themselves to get away) but ended up hooking nothing. That was fine. They could still be scared~. He was  _ very _ scary after all. So he sent out a wave of En, and, oooohhh!

He should have done that earlier!

There were quite a few pings, most were latent but that was fine because he was only looking for potential right now. Hisoka hummed as he narrowed in on the few people he’d managed to tag with his En. One was unsurprisingly, Illumi- who’d brushed his nen away with annoyance, knowing exactly what he was doing- so he ignored him and moved on. Another was the examiner, also not a surprise, but up near the front and close to the Hunter examiner was a bald man who, he vaguely remembered, had been telling anyone and everyone who would listen that he was a ninja. He’d keep an eye on him but he was latent, not even a single aura node open. 

Near the back was a cluster of four, no five? Yes, five. He’d have to get closer to them to figure out their potential separately. But he made sure to try to memorize their unique feelings before moving on. There were one or two latents next to him but considering how they’d all scurried away before he really had no interest in them. With not even a spark of will they were useless to him. Fruits that looked appetizing on the outside but were quite sour when you took a bite. He’d run into plenty of those and they always left him feeling more bloodthirsty than usual. That just wouldn’t do so early on! 

Now for the only other awakened nen user… Hm. He was closer to the back, not quite as far as the little cluster but Hisoka would only need to slow down his rhythm a bit and he’d be close in just a few minutes~!

Waiting was always such a delicious torture! Hisoka had learned the hard way that patience paid off more than instant gratification. He’d never get to see a fruit ripen if he couldn’t learn the art of restraint, after all. Mmm, but that didn’t mean he didn’t suffer in the interim. His excitement for the hunt could get so painful and yet it felt so goood-

Something thunked into the back of his head, pulling him from his thoughts. There’d been no malicious intent… or any type of intent really. An accident perhaps? Still, how annoying to pull him away from his thoughts so rudely. He glanced down at his hand that had snatched up the offending object almost automatically. It was a rather expensive phone with a writing application open. And an… interesting list? It almost seemed like a reminder list. Hm.

He glanced behind him to see where it had come from and- oh. Oh! One of the little clusters' fruits was separated from the bunch! Not only that but, he was not nearly so latent as he’d thought earlier. Definitely not fully awakened but enough that it snagged Hisoka’s attention. He could check out the awakened later, they’d be easier to find after all (as long as they didn’t use Zetsu but they hadn’t yet so far-). Right now he had a precious little ripening fruit to go check out~!

He dropped back with a blissful hum, making sure to fall into step with the tiny little fruit. The little thing was completely covered with a beige desert robe, much too large for them but it looked like the bottom had been hemmed sloppily. Hmm. A little desert thief mayhap? It wouldn’t explain the phone, though… unless that was stolen too? My, my, he might have a quick one on his hands! Yes, he could see it now, a little desert rat scurrying to and fro collecting new items with each person passed. And if the little thief didn’t just give him the most wonderful reminder of that fight he’s so longingly waiting for, hmmmm~!

He licked his lips, heat stirring in his lower gut. But he couldn’t be distracted now!

Hisoka forced his mind back onto the little rat in front of him and allowed a smirk to settle on his lips. Time to see just how much potential this unripe fruit had.

Keeping his pace even with shorter strides to match the little one’s pace, he bent lower aiming to get a glance under the hood. And if it put him closer than most people would be comfortable with? Well, discomfort was just a fact of life and he’d love to see how the child- they were definitely young and not just small, their nen gave them away- handled it. Would they fluster? Would they ignore it?

“I believe you owe me an apology, little rat~.”

“Ah.” Their voice was a little raspy but neither high nor low in pitch. Hm, no gender given away there. Ah well, not too important. It’s not like he truly cared about gender, he only wanted the thrill of the fight. They continued flatly, “Sorry.”

Hm. They seemed to be in control outwardly but standing this close he could feel the little fluctuations in their nen. He actually was making them uncomfortable. 

Well now. He wanted to see if he could crack their exterior. Make them turn towards him, acknowledge him as the very real threat that he is. So, he let his bloodthirst leak into his aura and pushed a little Ren to wrap around the kid.

“Now, that doesn’t sound very sincere~! Want to try again?”

There it was! A hitch in his breath, stumbling steps and-

Hisoka was not at all ready for the sudden blast of nen to spike dangerously close to his face as if it was trying to actually snap at him. Then it was gone, instead wrapping around the child in a cloak of Ten. 

How-?

Hisoka stared, golden eyes wide, only still running because his body had fallen into auto-pilot the moment the surprise had stalled his higher cognitive functions. After a moment of staring, his breath hitched and his tongue wet his lips. That heat was back in his gut, his pants tightening because-

This one was interesting!

Most of the kid’s aura nodes were still partially closed but the ones around his head and neck had blasted open, swirling with snapping Ren that had solidified into an instinctive Ten. It was enough to send examinees around them flinching back, and make Hisoka lean forward eagerly. He was bent in half now, a small grin threatening to split his face. An anomaly! How rare! How sweet and perfect and waltzing right towards being edible~! This one deserved his attention certainly!

“Give me my phone.”

Oh? The voice was different. Deeper and smoother and with an accent that he couldn’t immediately place. The hood turned towards him and he saw a flash of bared teeth set in a pale snarl.

“But you still haven’t apologized~,” he whined, tilting his body awkwardly towards the child. It made his back and abdomen burn to hold such a position but it was worth it because now he could see under the hood. Most of the child’s face was cast in shadow but he could make out gorgeously defiant green eyes set in naturally wide sockets. That look just made him all shivery inside and a small pleased moan passed his lips.

“That look~! How splendid!”

Those eyes went wide before narrowing, disgust settling heavily onto the hidden lines of their face. “A pervert. Lovely. Give me my phone before I bash your skull into the wall.”

“Well, now you’re just trying to get me worked up,” Hisoka purred in return. A violent little thing. How marvelous! “Why don’t you try it~!”

There were a few moments that dragged on into eternity of the child just watching him, contemplating. Despite the rigidity of Ten hiding the major conflict, Hisoka could still feel each emotion as close as he was. Eventually the warring settled back down into determination. He waited, keeping his running steady, curious to see what the child would do. He didn’t have to wait long at all.

Lashing out with a rough kick to the ankles as a distraction, nimble fingers tried reaching out to snatch the phone from his hand. Hisoka hummed pleasantly, letting it happen, though he hopped deftly over the kick. When the child had latched onto the phone, there was a grunt of surprise when it wouldn’t move from his hand. Bungee Gum was ever so useful for keeping little rat’s from stealing things after all.

“What-”

Hisoka’s other hand reached out, quick as a viper, and snatched the wrist attached to the hand trying to futilely tug the phone from him. He felt the bones grind beneath the skin, Ten being the only thing protecting the rat’s wrist from snapping. Hm, there was no padding there either, almost literally skin and bones. What an unhealthy little thing. That wouldn't do! He’d have to keep a closer eye than he thought so his new little anomaly didn’t die from starvation. Though, they’d made it this far. A contemplation for another time then.

“Let go!”

Hisoka chuckled, straightening up so he had the little rat hanging by his wrist, his pale forearm on display as the sleeve slid down. Quite a few interesting scars, some silvery and small, one a botchy purple cut in three jagged lines like claw marks, and even one an angry red that wrapped around the base of the forearm closest to the elbow, looking suspiciously like a mottled handprint. Obviously not a happy life… or at the very least not a  _ safe _ one. How perfect, like a little diamond still being pressurized. 

The child barely made it to his hip so Hisoka lifted them straight off the ground with ease. He let the phone go, letting it stay attached to the thief’s hand with bungee gum for now, but kept up the punishing grip on the wrist still caught in his other hand. The magician lifted them even further until they were face to face, the little kicking legs doing absolutely no damage to his abdomen. He allowed the punch to his face, not stopping his lip from splitting open on his teeth. Unconsciously licking his lips again at the beautiful sight in front of him, Hisoka relished the tinge of iron on his tongue. So much anger and burning defiance! So much fight~!

“That’s not very nice, little rat~!”

“Shut up, pervert! Let me- ack!”

Hisoka squeezed just a bit harder, relishing the crunching under his hand and the even brighter glow of hatred and fear forming on the child’s face. “All I asked for was a little apology. Were you not taught any manners~?”

“I know my manners fine,” the child breathed with contempt. “You just don’t deserve them!”

“Oh~! I  _ like _ you,” he replied, eyes rolling back a bit, a shudder running down his spine. It was going to be uncomfortable running for a while after this. Ah, the sacrifices he made for his little fruits! “Do be safe, hm? It would be such a shame if you were to die early!”

With an amused chuckle, he sharpened his bloodlust and flooded it in front of him. Despite the Ten still wrapped around the small form, the rat froze at such concentrated malice directed at them. Hisoka dropped them after that, chuckling as they practically collapsed to the ground with their phone clutched tightly in their white knuckled grip.

Now~ wasn’t he hunting another active nen user earlier~?

* * *

“Jas! Are you alright?”

He startled, sucking in a deep breath of air. He was… on the ground? Why was he on the ground? What was he even doing before this? It had been something-

A shiver of terror ran down his spine and Jasper tried to chase the memory. If he was this scared he should know! He needed to know to avoid it! But, it vanished like smoke between his mental fingers.

“Tired already? That’s lame.”

What…? What had he been doing…? It was like… he was caught in a fog. So different from how he normally just didn’t remember. This felt more like he was wading through mud to even think, let alone remember.

“No, he’s not tired. I think something is wrong…”

His head was starting to pound between his ears, his heartbeat sounding like a deafening drum. There were noises around him indicating people and he knew that he should focus on them- never leave yourself defenseless!- but he just couldn’t. It was toomuchtoomuchtoomuch-

“Jas-”

And there was a hand on his shoulder. That was enough to startle him into action. He was at a disadvantageous position on his hands and knees like this but he’d been in worse! He just had to go for the weak points!

He leaned his weight on one hand ( _ his arm throbbed and throbbed owowowowow _ ), lashing out with the other to catch the wrist attached to the hand. He dug his nail into the soft underside and there was a small yelp but- but- No tugging. He couldn’t use them to pull himself up because they’d gone really really still and-

He was still scared? But not? Because-

There was nothing wrong. Nothing but his head pounding and too many people- loudloudloud-

In front of him was safe, what he held… he held- 

“Jas?”

For the first time since waking up on the ground, he opened his eyes and glanced up, catching sight of greengreengreen. He couldn’t remember this boy but the boy knew his name and green seemed safe. Green was- green was nice.

“Jasper. What happened?”

He could say. He could but he didn’t know. So, he couldn’t. More importantly-

“Who are you,” he rasped.

The boy in front of him blinked but smiled anyway ( _ safenicesafe _ ). “My name is Gon! You’re at the Hunter Exam to find your family!”

“I am?”

Another boy stepped closer before crouching down into a squat. His blue eyes -those sparked a memory, important _ important _ , but he just couldn’t grasp it right now- were studying him with detached curiosity. There was a board with wheels attached to one side clutched under his arm and his hands were stuck in the pockets of his shorts. “Wow… you look really out of it.”

“What happened, Jasper,” Gon asked again.

“I… I don’t remember. I was- I was scared. And… that’s it.”

And he hated that he couldn’t remember! It was important, he knew it was!

“Well… I’m gonna keep going. Are you guys coming?”

Gon- he totally wasn’t going to remember that… but the color green? He could do that. Greenie maybe?- nodded and stood up, staring down at him with a kind grin wrist still held in Jasper’s hand. Oh. He let go sheepishly. “C’mon! We’re still fine. We haven’t even gotten to the back of the group yet. Whatever happened must have happened recently because you haven’t been here long. Maybe we can figure it out!”

He blinked at the sheer sunshine pouring from Greenie’s pores. It was almost blinding but at the same time so very attractive. Jasper found himself smiling without much internal input. “Yea. Yeah I think I’d like that. Thanks Gree- er… Gon. I’m not gonna remember your name by the way.”

A snort came from Whitey’s direction -because seriously how many young people had white hair like that?- but Gon just laughed and waved it off. “I already told you I’d keep reminding you! I don’t mind.”

“If you’re sure.”

Jasper had always been alone after he’d been separated from his family. It was safer that way. Adults weren’t to be trusted and kids were cruel. But… Gon seemed different. He seemed safe. And for once, Jasper found himself actually wanting to get along with someone. Gon could still have his uses- he’d already proven it by reminding him why he was here… apparently multiple times- but he really liked the boy himself.

He wondered if they could become friends.

* * *

Gon was… a little worried.

He’d had so much fun getting here and his new friends were really competent. Even if he’d had to stop for Leorio earlier the man had eventually gotten his steam back and plowed right back into the running contestants with even more energy than at the start. And that was great! Kurapika was doing just fine in front of them and Killua hadn’t even started sweating.

But Jasper…

Well, he’d been excited to greet him in the beginning. It wasn’t that all rookies should team up but when he first saw his cloaked form, he’d noted exactly how small the rookie was. And if Tonpa was going to greet him, well, it was fine if Gon did too, right? Making friends was nice, he’d discovered.

And when he first introduced himself, Gon had immediately liked him. He was bright and straightforward. That was something that Gon understood easily! He’d thought, then and there, that he was going to have another friend. There was just something about the boy that he really liked! And he still felt like Jasper was going to be his friend… which was why he was so worried. 

He’d only left them for a little bit, not even half an hour most likely. And then- and then he and Killua had found Jasper on the concrete shaking so hard he almost looked like a giant noiseless rattle. And Gon just knew that Jas was terrified. In that moment the older boy had been less than human. And yet, Gon couldn’t stop himself from reaching out anyway. He knew, of course, that animals backed into a corner would lash out so it was hardly a surprise when he ended up with a hand wrapped around his wrist and nails digging in deep. He couldn’t stop the pained yelp but beyond that, he’d not moved an inch. No threatening moves but no fearful ones either. He knew he was bleeding too but there was little that could be done about it at that point. It would be easy to wipe away later.

And- 

It worked. Suddenly, Jas was back and it seemed like things were going to be okay again!

Except. Well.

Jas seemed to be forgetting much more quickly and he kept zoning out. Killua was sending glances over constantly, his eyebrows furrowed with wary curiosity. Gon would probably feel the same if he wasn’t so worried!

What exactly had happened?

He almost seemed- seemed... like Old Man Greg.

His Aunt Mito had told him once that Old Man Greg had been hurt a lot in his past and sometimes he would get stuck in his head, sucked into the past that hurt him.

Gon couldn’t be exactly sure it was the same… the memory loss was kind of... unique… but if it was anything like that, he’d have to be careful. Maybe instead of leaving Jas in silence he should engage him more? Or would that make it worse? 

No. He’d seemed to trust him earlier when he’d been scared (and that trust made him feel really warm and fuzzy!) so it should be okay. It would just be tricky because of the memory thing. Well! He could just carry on as he has been and keep reminding him!

Simple!

“So Jas! You want to be a hunter for your family, right?”

Killua glanced over again, blue eyes settling on the cloaked figure trailing behind Gon almost mindlessly.

“Huh? Oh… Hunter Exam? Uh. Yes.”

Before Gon could say anything more probing, Killua cut in. “Hey. How do you remember your family if you can’t even remember our names?”

It was quite a moment before the other boy answered. “The only thing I truly remember is my family. When I was young… we were separated. I don’t… remember what happened. But I’m pretty sure I’ve been looking for them ever since.”

Gon hummed. Sounded pretty tough. He would probably be looking for Aunt Mito if they were separated when he was younger too! 

“But I still don’t get how you can live without remembering anything,” Killua huffed, a frown on his lips as he turned to look forward again. Oh. There were a bunch of stairs coming up in front of them. 

“It’s not like… I forget everything. I mean… I do… but I also don’t. Like! I remember that green is safe!” A small finger poked him in the back and Gon blinked in surprise, turning back to glance at the shadowed chin he could see beneath the hood. Green? Did Jasper mean him? Wow! That was really cool. So even if Jas couldn’t remember his name, he could remember that he knew Gon? “Colors are easy usually. And there are some things that I do over and over and over so that I can do it even without remembering! Like my phone. I write in it to help me. But even remembering I had a phone took… a while. Probably.”

“Huh. That’s really weird.”

“I’m not… usually this bad? I think? I can’t be. I’m pretty sure this is a bad day. A really bad day but I can’t tell you how I know.”

Jasper fell silent and Gon glanced back again before looking over to Killua. The white haired boy had his head tilted back, running up the steps with ease as he stared at the ceiling with a hum. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything more so Gon took it upon himself to continue the distracting conversation. “Would you tell us about your family?”

“Huh? Why… why would I do that?”

Jasper sounded far more confused than before and Gon figured he’d forgotten again. “Because I’m Gon, and this is Killua! We’re friends and I’m taking this exam to find my family too!”

“Friends?” Jasper’s voice was hesitant, confused. And in the corner of his eye, Gon could see Killua staring at him with wide eyes.

“Uh-huh!” 

Of course they were his friends. They were almost the same age, they were taking the Hunter Exam together, and they both seemed really cool! It would be pretty great to have friends his own age!

“Friends…” It was soft and he almost didn’t hear it. “I’ve never had friends… I don’t think.”

“That’s okay! You have me now,” Gon responded cheerfully.

If both of his new friends were quiet after that, well... Gon could give them space. He’d just ask more about them later! Distractions were better for now. “Oh, look. I didn’t notice we were so close to the front.”

“It’s because of the rhythm. Going the fastest is easier and less tiring but people don’t realize that. The Hunter Exams seems really accessible… but really, it’s no joke. I’m impressed you’re both able to keep up with me,” Killua answered. When Gon looked over there was an almost unnoticeable smile on his lips.

“Really? Well… you know me and Jas are looking for our family. Why do you want to be a Hunter, Killua?”

“I don’t want to be a Hunter per se,” the other boy responded with an easy shrug. “I just thought the exam sounded like a challenge and would be fun. But, besides getting here, it’s been disappointing so far.”

Well… there was nothing wrong with that! And Gon had had a lot fun getting to the exams. It had been a little less challenging than expected but no less fun for it. And he was making friends! Maybe Killua just needed to hang around them, he seemed less bored than before anyhow.

“Why are we talking about Hunters?”

Gon and Killua glanced back in surprise before Killua snorted. Gon laughed, bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his head. He definitely wasn’t going to go back on his word but he was having to remind Jas a lot more than he thought he would. Oh well! Maybe tomorrow would be a better day for the older boy. But for now-

“We’re talking about why we want to be Hunters! I want to become a Hunter like my dad so I can find him one day!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't understand how I can so easily write Hisoka... but struggle so harshly with Gon. What the hell does this say about me personally?


	3. Phase One Continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick jaunt through Milsy wetlands gives a few different perspectives on our dear Jasper!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly hope I do these characters justice...

Jasper glanced around the fog laden area, paying only half a mind to the two arguing boys behind him. Arguing over who got to buy dinner… arguing over who placed first in their silly little sprint… It made him smile.

Greenie and Whitey. 

Whitey and Greenie. 

They were important. He just- just had to remember that. He  _ wanted so badly _ to remember that. But he wouldn’t. And soon enough he’d have to be reminded again. How many times would it take for them to get annoyed?  How many more times before he was on his own again?

Jasper pursed his lips. The boys were much too useful. He couldn’t allow himself to forget.

He held up his phone that he’d forgotten to even put away- how had he not noticed he’d been running with it in his hand the whole time, ugh- and started typing while he still could.

* * *

Milsy Wetlands. Killua glanced out over the revealed landscape. Seemed like somewhere his mom would have used for him as a training ground when he was younger if mustache man was right. A whole muddy forest based on trickery and deceit. That would have been one hell of a training run.

His lips quirked up. This was more like it. So much more fun than running through a boring tunnel.

“Take care not to be surprised and do your best to follow me,” the examiner said.

Like that would be hard. At least he had met Gon. He was weird, different. But that made him fun. So, even if Killua got too fed up with the exam itself, he’d hang around to stick with his new… friend.

And- He could already feel his lips twitch up at just the thought. Killua was pretty sure you didn’t become friends with someone right after meeting them… but if Gon wanted to claim him as a friend, well… he wasn’t exactly complaining. He’d never had friends after all so it would be interesting!

Which… reminded him of the other person Gon had claimed as a friend. 

Jasper.

The boy was… weird. And Killua still wasn’t sure if it was in a good way yet. He glanced around, catching sight of the robed kid fiddling with his phone next to Gon and paying (or perhaps only looking like it?) absolutely no attention to any of the other examinees around him. Memory problems that severe should have crippled someone and yet here he was, having somehow made it to the Hunter Exams. But even Jasper had said he normally wasn’t this bad, which begged the question of why he was currently suffering so harshly. Did bad days just  _ happen _ ? Or were they triggered? If so, what were the triggers? And why had they been set off right before the exam?

Killua leaned more towards the trigger theory considering the state they’d found the boy in earlier but that still left the question of what the trigger was. Was it fear? Jasper had said that’s all he’d remembered, so it could be pretty solid. Or maybe it was something else they just couldn’t see because  _ Jasper couldn’t remember _ .

Not for the first time since meeting the cloaked boy, Killua thought about how annoying memory problems were. As a Zoldyck, trained since infancy, he hardly had any memory problems except natural degradation and even that was limited because he’d been constantly tested over and over to keep his brain sharp. To run into it now, to be lacking so much information- it was frustrating… but also intriguing. Like a mystery puzzle that was begging to be solved. Or as Milluki might say, a puzzle game set on expert mode.

So, maybe Killua didn’t want to claim Jasper as a friend like he happily did with Gon, but he could admit to himself that he wanted to hang around the other boy more. There was potential there… maybe. Leaving Gon to deal with the annoying repetition stuff took away most of his problems with dealing with the boy anyway.

“That’s false! He’s lying to you guys!”

Killua blinked, pulled from his thoughts as he glanced over to the new voice. Hm. The way he was holding himself seemed much too lax for the kind of injury he had. His breathing should have been a little more difficult with a chest injury but the guy was yelling and pointing just fine.

“He’s lying to you guys! He’s not an examiner because I’m the examiner!”

Ah. This had to be one of those deceit things, Killua thought with a scoff. It was super obvious. If this guy was the examiner, he would have been there to pick them up. Not to mention it made him seem really weak to get so beaten by one single beast that relied on trickery.

Except… all the adults were murmuring amongst themselves, confusion evident, distrust brewing. Killua couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. Were adults actually this dumb? It was insane!

And then the fake examiner pulled out a monkey with the examiner’s face, plus mouth ( _ which, how did he eat? Was his mustache his mouth? Was it hiding under his mustache? Could he just phase food past his skin? Was it only an illusion and it was actually just a gaping hole? _ ), and Killua sighed harshly through his nose. He ignored whatever was going on and instead turned to observe how Gon and Jasper were handling it. Which was why, when the bloodlust spiked he got to witness Jasper freeze, fingers unconsciously clutching at his phone as they shook harshly. Even with paper white skin of his knuckles got even paler with blood loss. 

He noted that reaction carefully and looked up to see cards embedded in the liar’s corpse and… Mustache holding some between his fingers. 

“I see, I see. That settles it then.”

That voice made his teeth clench. It was that clown from earlier in the day. He was shuffling a deck of cards expertly, a smug smirk on his lips as his hand lashed out. There was another thump and Killua caught sight of the ape, the one that had been dragged over and pretending to be dead, lying sprawled further away with a card embedded in his skull. He sucked in a breath.

D̶̘̩̗̥͗̈̏̏ą̷̨̻̩̞̺͎͔̈́n̴̢̼̫̩̙͖̟̉̿̈́̇́̋̃̚͜͠g̷̡̡̘̦͓͙̻̤̤̮͆͒̈́͑̅͘͠e̴͓͌͌̑̄͆̏̾͝ͅṛ̴̨̡̛̹̮̰͈̰̻͂͑́͘õ̸̞̳̫̺̰̫̆u̸̙̻̙̝̻̰͇̺̙̱͛͆͐̽̾̔͋s̵͙̅̈́͝

“He’s the true examiner,” the clown hummed, looking at mustache man. The examiner carelessly dropped the cards he’d caught. “A true Hunter would never be caught by such a paltry attack.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The examiner’s voice was as cool as before, not even the slightest bit rattled. Killua admired that. “However, if you attack me again for any reason, you’ll be disqualified. Is that understood?”

“Yes~ Yes~.”

When he swallowed, his throat was a bit tighter than expected and when he blinked, his eyes were dry and burning. What a terrifying man that clown must be to have bloodlust like that at the drop of a hat. Not that Killua couldn’t do that as well but he was an assassin! It was different.  His wasn’t nearly as potent.

He turned back to Jasper only to witness Gon standing in front of the boy, waving a hand in front of the robes’s hood with a concerned expression. “Gon?”

His friend looked up and gave a small embarrassed smile. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him… but we probably shouldn’t touch him. I just don’t know how else to get his attention.”

Killua… was pretty sure he knew what was wrong. He glanced back at the clown and-

Shivered as golden eyes caught his own before flickering over to Jasper and-

Was that a tongue licking his lips!? What the hell kind of expression was that!?!?

The young Zoldyck immediately turned back and was absolutely positive that Jasper had had a run in with clown man. And the result was a terrified young boy hiding from a pervert. Gross!

He had the sudden urge to keep a closer eye on the older boy. No kid deserved that kind of attention! Even Illumi had warned him about that stuff and if that wasn’t enough of an indicator for how bad it was… 

Killua was only thankful that Jas’ mind remembered subconsciously based on his reaction alone. It could, of course, have been the bloodlust, but he had a feeling that wasn’t it. Now he just needed to keep the idiot with the brain of a literal goldfish away from a dangerously powerful pervert. No problems.

Hey… Goldfish wasn’t a bad nickname. It was pretty accurate. Or maybe Peanut? He was small despite being older and with his memory capacity that was probably about the size of his brain. 

He’d have to think about it more.

For now. “Just clap in front of his face or something.”

* * *

“Let’s go to the front. We should keep an eye on the examiner,” Whitey said, throwing a glance behind them as the fog thickened. Jasper glanced at his phone again. Well, if his past self thought it was worth it to trust these two, he probably should. Greenie was quick to agree so Jasper had no problems with it. “We should really get away from Hisoka. He’ll probably use the haze to mask his kills. He feels really impatient.”

He wondered who this Hisoka was-

“Ha,” Whitey laughed, and though Jasper could not see his face as he was jogging behind Greenie, he could feel the mocking in it. “You shoulda seen your face! I can tell because we’re the same type. So, I can feel it.”

“The same type? I couldn’t tell.”

Oh, but Jasper could. He could not tell which of the examinees Hisoka was, and really did not care to find out as he’d just forget the name soon anyways, but he could certainly feel the malicious intent behind him. (He was trying his hardest to ignore it, to not shiver and hide and crycrycry-) And though Whitey was not currently releasing the same feeling, he could just tell there was something dangerous about the boy.

“You shouldn't rely on appearances. Do you understand,” Whitey hummed, sounding slightly scolding.

“Ah.” And then Greenie fell back a bit, making sure not to bump into Jasper, before yelling, “Leorio, Kurapika! Killua says it’s better to be in front!”

There were some shouted responses but Jasper did not pay them much mind, instead glancing at his phone again. The list he had made was simple in the beginning until it got to the most recent entry.

Trust… He didn’t really have much of that so why would he decide to trust these boys. He’d even written physical descriptions of them so he could find them later! That was… well, he wasn’t sure if he had ever done that before and he wasn’t about to go through all his past entries to find out but- 

It didn’t seem like normal behavior for him. Maybe they had impressed him with their usefulness? It was pretty obvious that Greenie was reminding him again and again whenever he’d ask a clarifying question (though having his phone out for reminders probably made him less annoying, he should just keep it out) which was super helpful. But then why did he use words like ‘trust’ and ‘friend’? They were so little used in his vocabulary they might as well not exist!

Jasper really hated his failing memory. Really really.

He sighed slowly and turned back to paying attention to following Greenie and Whitey. The fog was getting worryingly thick. If he got lost- Well, goodbye License. And he couldn’t afford that.

So-

Of course-

Not even ten minutes later they get eaten by a frog.

A short time later, sitting in the middle of frog stomach acid on the muddy ground, he groaned and let his head thunk forward not caring for the mud that caked onto his face or hood. That had been highly unpleasant for a multitude of reasons. 

Whitey was saying something about juice but he hardly cared at the moment. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. When was the last time he had done that? He had no idea. The writing application didn’t tell him when each update on an entry was made. He could have slept… or he might not have… He honestly couldn’t tell beyond feeling exhausted suddenly.

While bemoaning his own (possibly) sleepless state, Greenie suddenly shot up and took off into the mist. Jasper was so startled that he tried to scramble up after him. The only thing that stopped him was a hand on his shoulder. And it only worked because he flipped around and tried to groin punch Whitey… who he realized was Whitey after already throwing the punch. (And that a groin punch was usually meant for an adult so he would have accidentally throat punched him… er… he had a feeling he should be really happy it hadn’t landed.)

“Huh. That wasn’t half bad. A little slow though.”

Jasper stared for a moment. Throwing a punch that hadn’t even landed shouldn’t hurt, right? “Oops.”

Whitey snorted. “That’s it? Whatever. Anyway, don’t go running off. If you lost Gon we’d never find you again and you wouldn’t remember that you needed to be found. And I’m definitely not wasting time for you.”

Sounded like solid logic. Whitey didn’t seem as safe as Greenie but he’d still been included in his last entry. He double checked to make sure, though. Then he looked at the other kid and blankly asked, “Hunter Exams?”

Blue eyes closed in exasperation. “Yeah. First phase. Your family. Yada yada-” That was extremely unhelpful. He wanted Greenie back. Wait… if he wasn’t back soon was Jasper going to forget about him? Should he make another entry to look for Greenie? “-C’mon. We can still catch up to the examiner and Gon can take care of himself. Way better than you at any rate.”

Well, that was rude. Jasper could handle himself fine. He’d been doing so for years!

“I can take care of myself,” he muttered mutinously.

Whitey looked unimpressed. “Your brain is the size of a peanut and your memory is as fragile as one. Now c’mon, Nutty.”

“Hey! I only half resemble that remark,” Jasper replied smartly. “And my name is not nutty.”

The other boy smirked, blue eyes sparkling (and he liked the color… he missed Ma). He turned away and started walking, hands held behind his head. “I dunno, Nutty seems to fit you! You have mental problems, and your brain is a peanut. I mean… unless you want to be called goldfish?”

“What? No!”

Jasper was appalled. He was not a goldfish! Or a peanut! But Whitey was trotting away before he could argue his case, so he quickly followed.

* * *

Kurapika thought a lot, about a multitude of subjects (though it often circled back to avenging his clan, he was first and foremost a seeker of knowledge… He just put that knowledge seeking to use to take down the Phantom Troupe) and that usually required a lot of thinking. If one wanted to actually understand the knowledge, in any case. He didn’t see why one wouldn’t but he was digressing-

Kurapika thought a lot, which led to the hundreds of thought threads currently racing through his head as he ran behind Gon to follow Leorio’s (apparently) unique cologne scent. Some thoughts weren’t all that important- mostly wondering about food and how this or that clansman would like certain things he’d seen. Others were a little more so- wondering about the next phases, thinking over what possible Hunters could be their examiners. And some were at the forefront- mostly circling around the current oddity his interest had chosen to latch onto. Namely, Gon.

He tossed around the little tidbit Gon had imparted about being excited to fight Hisoka and had decided the boy was a budding thrill seeker. Not necessarily a bad thing if handled correctly. It would be pretty useful in a Hunter’s line of work but it could also lead to recklessly dangerous acts. But Gon’s newly budding adrenaline discovery was just a small morsel when compared to the rest of him. First, the original thing to catch his attention, was how good at reading people the kid was. Considering he didn’t come from a terrible background as far as Kurapika could tell, it had to be from something else? Maybe a sense of empathy? Or perhaps, because he’d grown up in the wild, it was a basic animal instinct that was somehow translating over?

So far it had yet to be wrong to a detrimental degree. Except maybe in Tonpa’s case. There was definitely something wrong with the man and the drinks proved it. But Gon had still talked to him nicely… but had never said he trusted him like he had Kurapika and Leorio. Hm. Okay so maybe good sense but no experience? That could be fixed.

And there was his superhuman abilities like his sense of smell and overly strong and dexterous muscles. There were tribes of people that had specific attributes (like Kurapika’s eyes) that set them apart from others but he’d never really heard of any so… generalized as Gon’s. It was more like he was an animal in human skin.

Then there was that… subtle charisma. Kurapika was 100% positive Gon had no idea how easily he drew in people and, so far, hadn’t seemed to notice that he did so with… maybe not  _ good _ people per se, but at least, not morally reprehensible ones. (It had been a bit of a relief to hear Leorio’s story. It proved Gon’s judgement and charisma wasn’t a fluke. And that Kurapika hadn’t judged the man’s- teenager’s?- kind heart wrong.)

It made him briefly wonder about the two kids that had been with Gon as well. Killua he hadn’t seen much of but Jasper… while their interactions weren’t long, Kurapika had gleaned quite a bit. Trouble forming new memories should have been a larger hamper than the boy was currently showing it to be. The thought had crossed his mind several times now that it could all just be an act and he might have decided to disbelieve it if Gon hadn’t said he was ‘good’. That still didn’t mean it couldn’t be an act but Kurapika was slightly more inclined to trust the tiny boy- and wow, was he tiny, even smaller than Gon.

“We made it in time,” Gon cheered, suddenly sprinting forward.

Kurapika jerked from his thoughts and followed quickly, his chest heaving with exertion. He’d never been the best at endurance even though he could do it ( nothing would break his will ), so he was quite thankful it was finally over. 

He glanced around but found no examiner. Hm. There was nothing to say they passed but also nothing to say they were disqualified. They’d obviously made it to the right place but had they made it in time? He’d just have to act with the assumption that they’d passed...

They found Leorio quickly enough and… he wasn’t really surprised that Leorio couldn’t remember much with the nasty hit he’d taken. He and Gon both agreed it was better if the man didn’t know about Hisoka. Kurapika would hate to have the aspiring doctor get himself killed by going after the murderous man  _ again _ . Kind hearted, Leorio may be, but even-tempered he was not.

Thankfully the next few minutes were calm because he appreciated the break to sort himself out again. Quick stretches to cool down, and breathing exercises to focus his mind on the important matters. Another few minutes passed and-

“Why is nothing happening,” Gon asked blithely, staring at the large doors that were situated on a small building that sat in the middle of the forest. There was a large clock above it that was ticking ever closer to noon and Kurapika would bet that was when the second phase would start. He was about to say so when someone else answered.

“We can’t get in yet.”

“Ah! Killua,” the eleven year old happily exclaimed, turning to one of the other kids in the exam. Kurapika took a moment to listen to their conversation (Yes, Gon was certainly unique) while looking the other over. No matter how much Gon liked the other, everyone here was still an enemy and he’d like to at least be aware of threats. The closer you let someone in during an exam like this, the more you risked being backstabbed.

Killua honestly didn’t look like too much but there was just something in the way the kid held himself. Like he was bored and these tests weren’t really curing that for him. And he didn’t even look slightly winded or tired after such a long run. That lent a lot more proof to Killua being a lot more dangerous than his appearance suggestion. It didn’t mean that he was a threat but it also didn't exclude that option either

“Well, Nutty and I made it here pretty quickly. We’ve just been hanging out.”

“Who’s… nutty?”

Killua snorted in amusement. “Jasper. ‘Cause he’s a nutcase with a brain as fragile as a peanut. Duh.”

Gon blinked and Kurapika couldn’t help the twitch of his lips. It was actually a rather mean, if amusing, nickname. “Oh! I guess it fits? But I don’t think I’ll call him that.”

“To each their own.” Killua shrugged as if it honestly didn’t bother him. Kurapika couldn’t help but analyze that as well. He did that for a lot of things, seeming unfazed. Was it truly an act or no? Either answer would give him a lot of ground if he ever had to face the boy.

“So, where is Jas anyway?”

“I left him over by that tree and- oh no-”

Kurapika looked over to where the other boys were facing and couldn’t help the nervous frown and the harsh thumping in his chest. Hisoka was over there, smirk as unchanged as ever, talking to the little cloaked boy. The blonde was faced with the sudden urge to run over and rip them apart because that look on the older man’s face seemed absolutely indecent-

And then a clawed finger was pointing in their direction.

* * *

Jasper glanced at his phone again before looking around. He couldn’t see anyone with the description written down in the second to last entry. The last one was a simple ‘ _ Second Phase. Wait to start _ ’. Whatever that meant. But the one right above it… something about him being friends with two other people here and he could trust them. Except he couldn’t see anyone of their description around.

He sighed and stood up, stretching away the slight ache in his muscles that suggested he’d been doing some kind of physical activity. His right wrist heavily protested the movement and he frowned at it, before dropping the hand with a sigh. Whatever the problem was he could take care of it later. He glanced at the crowd of adults again, seeing no one that fit the physical description he’d provided himself. How annoying. Now he had to decide if he should handle this next part by himself when it started or look for his supposed friends.

Should he bother if he wouldn’t remember shortly? But then he’d look at his phone and probably go through this drama again. He could always delete their entry. What kind of friends were they to leave him alone after all?

Then again… he’d written it for a reason. He’d written… written… he glanced down at his phone. Oh, right. Friends. Hm.

“Having some trouble, little rat?”

He blinked and tilted his head to look at the man that had appeared at his side. How had he not noticed, he was usually better than this! This guy was way too close!

With a wary step back to get some distance, he looked the other over. The man didn’t follow but his amusement practically radiated off of him. Jasper ignored it. He liked his bubble, okay? Personal space was a thing and he respected it and would like his respected in return. 

He returned to observing, giving himself a slight shake out of his own thoughts before he was too distracted and ended up forgetting this guy was even talking to him. A… strange costume this man was wearing, all poofy, contrasted by slimming bits in areas like the waist and ankles. It made the man look larger than he probably was underneath those clothes. Definitely a showy guy. And his hair was  _ redredredred _ -

He sucked in a careful breath. “Uh. Who are you?”

“You don’t remember me~? Why~ I’m hurt!” Was that an honest to goodness pout on an adult’s face? Weird.

“I don’t remember a lot of things,” Jasper responded frankly.

“Oh! I see~ How unfortunate. That would explain that little list on your phone,” the man hummed, a clawed finger coming up to tap on his lip thoughtfully.

Jasper frowned sharply, an uncomfortable feeling of  _ go away run away _ wiggling in his gut. He trusted his gut implicitly… except he had nowhere to run away right now. If he left this conversation there was no guarantee this man wouldn’t just follow. His hand clenched on the aforementioned phone as he huffed out, “How do you know about that?”

“Why you gave it to me earlier, of course~.”

What reason would he have to give his phone to a man he hadn’t even told his memory problem about? There was something very wrong with this conversation, with this man. Alarm signals were blaring to life in his head and he- 

Wanted to run. 

He glanced at his phone discreetly, turning the bright screen enough that he could see it without moving his head. Green was safe. He wanted to find Greenie.

“Who are you,” he asked instead of giving into his growing urge to flee. He tucked his right arm closer to his side, feeling it twinge. If he couldn’t get away would he be able to use it?

“Are you going to remember if I tell you~?”

Well, no. But the mocking practically dripping from those words pushed practically every button that shouldn’t be pushed. Condescension from adults had always been- had always- he hatedhatedhated it. It made his vision go red  just like that day .

“Of course I will,” he spat (like a liar).

“Then my name is Hisoka~,” the clown looking guy practically purred. “And what should I call you, precious little fruit?”

He twitched at the change of address. Wasn’t he being called a rat earlier? Please change back to that, thanks. The way those words practically caressed the guy’s tongue on the way out of his mouth made Jasper supremely uncomfortable, and he didn’t need the splitting migraine that suddenly popped up either.

Blinking black spots from his eyes ( _ and suddenly everything was too bright and his head was poundingpoundingpounding like the drums of war _ ) Jasper cleared his throat, once, twice, thrice, before answering. “It’s… Jasper.”

“A pleasure~!”

Yea… yea, no. Definitely not. He was leaving now.

So, he turned to do just that except- “Are you looking for your friends, Jasper~?”

He froze. Was that what he had been doing? How had this guy known?

“No need to worry. They’re right over there~.”

A clawed finger was pointed at a tree surrounded by four people, two of which seemed familiar and-

He glanced at his phone. Greenie and Whitey. His shoulders sagged in relief and he scurried over, desperate to get away. He wanted to be safe right now.

The man, thankfully, did not follow.


	4. The Flaw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group conspires against Jasper for his own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly slightly disheartened that there were no comments... Like not even a 'Nice!'. But I do appreciate all those who left kudos!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! And don't worry... Jasper will be getting better(ish) the chapter after next. His POV won't be as crazy anymore by then.

Leorio prodded the rather large lump on his face with a wince. He was absolutely clueless about how he’d gotten here… and Gon and Kurapika had shown up afterwards looking for him. Which- left him with so many questions. Going off of the muscle burn. He’d gone through a pretty hefty workout- which coincided with his memories of lots of running- and he’d been hit by… something. And somehow got to the Second Phase exam site.

He let out an aggravated sigh and prodded his face again. Despite being a rather nasty contusion that caused some memory loss, and practically shredded the inside of his mouth, Leorio was pretty sure he didn’t have a concussion. Thank goodness for being hit on the cheek. Actually… thank goodness he didn’t have a broken jaw. Good at field dressing he may be, there was still only so much he could do.

Didn’t make it any less frustrating that he didn’t make it here on his own power… and that he had no idea who had helped him.

A loud cry of “Jas!” drew him from his self pity session and he blearily looked up at the approaching kid decked out in a ragged, dirty robe. He’d seen a few of those in his time, good for keeping warm on cold nights and keeping the sand from blasting one’s skin off. Though, he doubted that’s the reason this kid was wearing one. It was probably more for hiding than anything else. It did a pretty good job of it at any rate.

He let out a sigh through his nose and thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t been more damaged ( _ it could have been so much worse _ ) before pushing himself up into a standing position. There was a brief moment of lightheadedness but it went away quickly enough that he wasn’t too worried. Considering he was still shining with sweat, it was probably dehydration and not the lump on his face. 

(And, urgh, he was trying so hard not to think about how stupid he looked. There were more important things than pride! Like money!)

“So… what are we waiting for,” he asked as he ambled after the group that had made their way closer to the building in the clearing. His skin felt tacky with dried sweat. Hm. He should probably put on a shirt. He pulled his jacket and shirt from his waist, separated them, then started pulling his shirt back on and tying his jacket around his waist (the badge went on his chest of course). Feeling a little more put together he turned back to the group to ask-

“Who are you?”

Leorio let out a strangled noise before reigning himself in. It was fine. The kid has some form of anterograde amnesia. He had to remind himself not to yell (not because it wasn’t deserved because being constantly forgotten was  _ really _ annoying but because his face  _ hurt dammit!  _ That was definitely the reason. Definitely. ), to take deep breaths. 

Was it even worth it to introduce himself at this point?

“That’s Leorio! He’s part of our group!”

Nevermind.

At least he could bask in the feeling of being included. Gon was a really great kid. (Most of the time.)

And with that thought, the doors in front of everyone started peeling open with a groan; one completely different than the grumbling and growling that had been coming out of the building for the past forever. And they were starting the Second Phase with-

Cooking!

Which was… not exactly what he was expecting from a Hunter Exam. Sort of stupid really.

But definitely something within his range of capabilities! He’d cook the best damn pork that examiner had ever tasted!

So, high on his future success, he almost didn’t notice the beige figure in the corner of his eye start lagging. He glanced over, a bit surprised that Jasper was falling back, away from Gon and the white haired brat. He glanced at the two boys but they made no move to say or do anything… and Kurapika was too focused looking forward and around them trying to spot any pigs.

Leorio huffed. Then he slowed down until he was right next to the kid. There were a few quiet moments before Jasper spoke. “Who are you?”

“Seriously!? Ugh- You know what, fine! I’m Leorio and you’re looking a little down there, kid. What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing. Nothing is… wrong.”

“Uh-huh sure. Lie a little more convincingly. Now, out with it.” Despite his blunt words he really was curious. Would Jasper even remember what he was falling behind for? And if he did remember… Well, doctor’s were supposed to help people, right? This was totally fine!

“I can’t cook.”

The blunt admission almost made the older teen fall on his face as he stumbled over a tree root. How the hell had the kid survived? Hadn’t he said he’d been looking for his family? Leorio had sort of assumed Jasper was on his own if that was true but what if wasn’t? Had somebody been cooking for him? Is that why he hadn’t learned?  He didn’t want to think about how tiny those wrists were. There just… was no way that he’d survived on his own with no way to make food! There wasn’t!

…

UGH! How was this kid alive!?

“That- That’s not a problem,” he stuttered, still trying to get over his shock.

“No? But aren’t we supposed to cook?”

“Well, yes,” he grunted.

”Then how is it not a problem?”

“Because I’ll help you!”

He’d blurted it out without really thinking about it but Leorio wouldn’t take it back. He knew how to cook just fine enough to survive and if he had to help teach a kid to do it (and maybe impart an important life skill at the same time that would  _ hopefully _ be remembered) then he was all for it!

“Why?” Jasper’s voice was bland and it made Leorio’s eye twitch.

“What do you mean why!? It’s the right thing to do!”

“You’re a bit of a hot-head aren’t you?”

He gaped, head turning directly towards the small form beside him. How dare-! He was trying to help-! And this was the respect-!? What the hell!

“WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT!”

Jasper’s laughter rang clear and high. It was a full bellied laugh, one that made the boy stop running as he leant over clutching his stomach. It was bright and light hearted and it made an unconscious smile tick up Leorio’s face.

“Alright, Mister Drab,” the boy panted between giggles. “I’ll accept your help. What are we doing again?”

Leorio sighed, eyebrow twitching with annoyance. (But there was a warmth in his gut and if his sigh was a tad bit more fond, no one could call him out on it.)

Did it have to be Mister Drab, though?

* * *

Jasper doesn’t really remember how a giant pig came to be settled over a fire in front of him. It was a rather big fire pit but the fire was settled low. The pig sat above it skewered through the mouth and settled on two large poles outside the pit.

“Hey kid, how’s the pig looking?”

He glanced up slowly. Then blinked, a little stunned at the burn behind his eyelids. He must not have blinked for a while.

“Kid? Jasper?”

Oh. Right. Someone was here. A middle aged looking man in a white suit shirt with some rather drab looking suit pants and a matching jacket tied sloppily around his waist who was addressing him like he knew him. Maybe he did. But he couldn’t really remember. He was too tired to be bothered about that right now, though. Jasper didn’t know where it came from or when he was hit by it, but this wave of exhaustion wasn’t leaving him alone. He felt bleary and vulnerable. It was not a nice feeling. A little too close to terrifying for his liking-

“Kid!”

Jasper jerked back upright, saving himself from falling into the arms of the adult. “Who are you,” he grumbled, shifting into a more comfortable position and leaning back onto one hand.

The man sighed and plopped down beside him. “Names Leorio. I’ve been helping you cook. I was literally five feet away from you this whole time.” He had been? Oh wow… Jasper was worse off than he thought. “And I’ve been watching you almost faceplant for the last five minutes. Are you feeling alright?”

Obviously not. But he wasn’t about to go saying that to an adult. “Fine.”

“You’re not really that great of a liar, are you?”

Pshaw. He was a fantastic liar! Just… when he was better aware of himself. Maybe not so tired too.

“Hey. I noticed you’ve been favoring your left hand. Are you hurt? I could help.”

Jasper twitched. Was he hurt? He rotated his right wrist and barely suppressed a shriek of pain. His shoulders grew tight and he sat upright at the sudden agony spreading up his arm in waves. With trembling fingers, he pulled the sleeve away from his arm and winced at the livid splash of red and purple. Where- Where did that come from!?

“Damn… that looks rather bad.”

He jumped, jerking his head over to look at the man sitting next to him. Where did he come from!?

The man sighed, rubbing the heel of his hand against the eye opposite the swelling on his face. “I’ve been here, Jasper. Names Leorio. Can I look at your wrist? I have some medical training.”

No way! He wasn’t about to let some guy touch him! He’d had worse! Maybe… He couldn’t recall having worse and honestly his wrist really really hurt… which was probably why he hadn’t been moving it. Moving it had been such a huge mistake!

“Kid. Kid-”

He jerked away from the hand on his shoulder, snarling. It didn’t matter if it hurt, he could still fight! He was fine! He wasn’t going to let this guy touch him!

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, alright? It just looks really bad. I- I want to be a doctor to help people. I could help you right now. If you let me.” The man had retracted his hand, and was staring at him with a small frown on his face. His eyes were intent but… Jasper couldn’t really see or feel any ill intent. In fact, they looked rather earnest and that was especially helped by the goose egg sitting on his cheek. It made the drab looking man look even more harmless.

Jasper grimaced, clutching his arm to his chest. Appearances could be very deceiving. He would know. But his arm really really hurt and he definitely should not have moved it like that because  _ ow _ . No… No, it was fine. He was fine. He’d had to have had it for a while if it looked like that, right? He’d been handling it so far and he could keep doing so. He just, should probably write it in his phone so he didn’t make such a stupid mistake later.

“Jasper. I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but it’s alright to accept help. Especially from someone who knows what they’re doing. There could be something really wrong with your wrist.”

He glared- not that the man could see considering his hood was still up- and huffed. “And how do I know you are what you say you are… whatever you are!?”

The stranger scratched the stubble on his chin and turned brown eyes skyward. He muttered to himself for a moment before facing Jasper again. “You obviously don’t remember me but I’m your doctor for the Hunter Exams. I’m supposed to help with your injuries. So, will you let me see?”

He blinked. Rolled the thought over in his mind. Doctors had been assigned for the Hunter Exams? Why would they do that? And how did he know the man was telling the truth?

“How do I know you're not lying!?”

The stranger huffed and stood up slowly. “Let me get my briefcase and show you. It’s all medical equipment. Besides, how else would I know your name if you never told me?”

Jasper opened his mouth to retort before freezing. That was true. How- how else would he know unless he was assigned by the Hunters? 

He clutched his arm tighter to his chest before giving a sullen, “O-okay, show me your stuff.”

And the guy- doctor?- did. There was no lie, it was all medical stuff. Except… “Why are you showing me this?”

“‘Cause I need to look at your arm, kid.”

Oh. That made sense. His wrist did hurt and this guy was obviously a doctor. And his brown eyes seemed really sincere. But Jasper was still hesitant. He didn’t want an adult… any adult to see him. He couldn’t let them. Only his family was safe.

“It’s really starting to hurt, right? I’ll be gentle.”

He pursed his lips for a moment before letting out an explosive sigh. He didn’t know why this doctor guy was here but better take advantage, right? Sure, Jasper could handle it on his own but not nearly as professionally and he… had important things he was doing right now, right? So, he held out his arm reluctantly.

There was a mutter that sounded suspiciously like, “Oh, thank god,” before calloused fingers gently pushed the sleeve of his robe up and settled over his wrist. They prodded slowly, making him twitch every now and then, before two fingers settled on either side of his wrist while Jasper watched intently.

“I think it might be dislocated,” the stranger murmured, a frown on his lips. Then he looked straight at Jasper, then over his shoulder for a moment. He gave a short nod before continuing, “Kid. I have to put pressure on it to check something and it’s going to hurt. Don’t- don’t attack me or anything.”

It was going to hurt? Wait but- wasn’t this supposed to make it not hurt? How-

_ Painpainpainpain _

Jasper screamed before he could stop himself. His left arm lashed out and-

Was promptly grabbed by a smaller hand, tugging it back-

Something plopped in his lap so he couldn’t stand-

_ He was trappedtrappedtrapped- _

His head immediately burst open with a migraine and-

He was opening his eyes with a groan. His mouth felt dry as dirt and the world was a bit blurry with the pain of his throbbing head. A blur of green and black appeared above him.

“Hey, Jas!” The blur moved and he tracked it slowly. For some reason, despite being in such a vulnerable state… the green felt safe. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmmpf.”

“Well, that’s okay! You can take a minute. We’re just finishing Kurapika’s pig and then we can all go back.”

Still… feeling safe didn’t stop the pounding in his head. Couldn’t the green be quieter? He really wanted to go back to sleep.

“All of this over a dislocated wrist? Can’t we just leave him, Gon? He’s pretty much deadweight.”

That… wasn’t green. He couldn't see who spoke but he had the very faint feeling of white ( _ importantblue _ ).

“I don’t think this was just about the wrist,” another voice chimed in. He… he couldn’t guess this one. “He’s severely dehydrated and probably hasn’t eaten in a while either. That’s why I asked Kurapika to gather some edibles while we work on his roast.”

“Still…” White sounded pretty put out. He wondered why exactly.

“C’mon Killua! He was able to keep up with us this whole time while in this condition. Isn’t that really cool?” Green shifted closer and Jasper could feel a small warm hand settle on his forehand. He sighed at the nice feeling of it.

“I mean… I guess. That does make it sound a bit better.”

“Wanna sleep,” he grunted with more effort than it should have taken.

There was a small laugh. “No! Not yet. We still need to finish the second phase! C’mon Jasper, don’t you want to pass so you can find your family?”

That sent a jolt through his system and his eyes snapped back open. (When had they closed?) Finding his family  _ was _ important! And if he had to force himself awake for that, so be it! With a huff he shifted his arms so his hands were positioned to help push him up-

“Whoah! No, no! No pressure on that wrist! I set it and wrapped it but you can still mess it up,” that unknown third voice chimed urgently.

His wrist?

“Yea! You gotta be more careful, Jas,” Green voiced chimed in chidingly. “Here, I’ll help.”

And suddenly he was up and up and standing and- whoa, the world was spinning.

“Jeez, Gon,” White laughed. He was standing in front of them, blue eyes sparkling with amusement and white hair shining in the sun. “You wanna make him puke all over you?”

“Whoops! Sorry!”

Jasper blinked and shook his head- causing more spinning and black spots and why was he like this- before slurring, “‘S fine. ‘S… fine. Gimme a sec.”

He was clutching rather tightly to Green’s arm while he waited for his head to settle on his neck where it was supposed to be. It only took… well, he wasn’t sure but eventually it was fine. Fine enough for him to move and stand on his own.

“Oh! You dropped this earlier. Here ya go!”

His phone was shoved in front of his face and he raised both hands to snatch it before it hit his nose. Phone in hand, he paused to stare at the thick, stiff bandages that hampered the movement of his right wrist. When did that happen?

He should… really check his phone. He clicked a few of the buttons before it turned on, already opened to his notes. He read through them quickly enough as there weren’t very many. Unfortunately, there was nothing mentioning his wrist so it was probably recent and he should update it so he’d be careful with it in the future. Fortunately, it had a whole little entry for Greenie and Whitey- and honestly the names made sense and clicked in his head- that meant he could trust them, especially with the state he was in.

He still really wanted to sleep.

* * *

Killua was somewhat exasperated. He didn’t understand why Gon was going through so much trouble! They should just let Nutty fail and he could try again another year or something but no. Gon had already decided they were friends and his friends were going to pass with him. Even if it was trouble to get them through the exam. Honestly, Gon was a bit more stubborn than expected about the whole thing too.

He sighed, and settled himself back onto the grass watching as Gon hovered, looking at whatever Nutty was doing with his phone. Leorio was poking and prodding at Kurapika’s pig to make sure it was finished before pulling it off the fire and tossing it onto their cooked pig pile. And Kurapika was… somewhere in the forest. Probably coming back soon since he’d already been gone a good half an hour.

He’d noticed before that the robed boy had had an injury after they found him alone in the first half of the run. It wasn’t truly hard to see how he slowly stopped using his right hand on his phone. Killua just hadn’t cared enough about it to say anything which was probably why this whole situation happened in the first place. Maybe he should have said something? Then it could have been over and done with sooner. But he hadn’t, and the old man teen had noticed as well.

The guy had dropped back to talk to peanut brain, had gotten a genuine laugh out of him- which neither he nor Gon had done and he sort of wanted to do it now  it was a nice sound- , and then had basically commandeered how they were going to spend this part of the exam. The giant pigs were pretty easy to find even though there weren’t that many. The first group they found had exactly three and those were dealt with swiftly once it was discovered that their main weakness was their forehead.

They set the fire pits then and there and Leorio had started trying to cajole peanut brain into letting him help. It didn’t go so well. In fact it went so badly that Nutty had almost ended up in a tree to get away.

It was then that Kurapika suggested using Nutty’s brain against him. Killua had instantly agreed and seen the logic. Leorio didn’t exactly like it but he could see how it would work. Gon wasn’t so easily convinced. It took all three of them pointing out how much Jasper probably needed help before they put the plan in action.

Gon had gotten him to sit in front of one of the pigs to ‘watch it and make sure it doesn’t burn’ before eventually sneaking away when Nutty started zoning out. At that point Gon and Killua took off into the forest to hunt down two more giant pigs. Bam done, simple as that, and they were back.

By that point Leorio had apparently cajoled his way into looking at Nutty’s wrist because when he and Gon had walked into the clearing, pigs held aloft, Jasper’s wrist was already on display. Kurapika was nowhere to be seen but Killua was way more distracted by the injury on Nutty. It was a little worse than Killua had thought. It was swollen to almost twice its original size and was a brilliant purple with red streaks on the outer edges. Nothing a Zoldyck couldn’t handle easily but someone who wasn’t trained in pain tolerance? Well...

“I think it might be dislocated,” Leorio had said clearly, displeasure practically soaked into his words. Then he looked straight at them and Killua was positive he was asking for some sort of help. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to give it so he had nodded, setting the pig down quietly while Gon followed suit. “Kid. I have to put pressure on it to check something and it’s going to hurt. Don’t- don’t attack me or anything.”

There was a sort of crunching sound, Nutty  _ screeched _ , and Killua lunged forward to snatch his hand before it actually landed on the older man. At the same time, Gon plopped on Nutty’s lap to hold his legs down and make sure he wouldn’t squirm away.

“Damn,” Leorio muttered, as half a second later the boy slumped in unconsciousness. “Well, good news is, his wrist will be okay. Seems like it was only a partial dislocation and he wasn’t really using it so it didn’t get worse or anything.”

“That’s good,” Gon said, a big smile forming on his face, relief clear in his tone. Killua sort of felt the same way even if he wasn’t going to say anything. He’d looked down at the older boy and saw, for the first time, his face as his hood had fallen. It was just as pale as the rest of him and the wild black hair, just as pitch dark as Illumi’s, didn’t help his complexion. The dried mud caking the upper right half of his face probably didn’t help in that regard either. Though, his eyelashes were really long for a boy, especially prominent on white cheeks. His cheeks were round but that was more bone structure than anything because… he was almost skeletal he was so gaunt. When was the last time this kid had eaten anything substantial?

While his thinness was bad enough, he couldn’t help but note the scars as well. The corners of his mouth had pale scars stretching maybe half an inch on each side as if his mouth had been cut open wider. There was a rather nasty reddish gash that he could barely make out trailing down his neck and he could see a splotchy still healing burn covering his temple and a portion of the hair melted away near his ear. Killua couldn’t help but wonder if the mud was hiding anything on the other side of the kid’s face.

“Whoa! He’s so thin,” Gon gasped.

“That’s what I was worried about,” Leorio sighed. “I’d noticed how thin his wrists were before but I was hoping… well… Should have known better.”

Then the man pulled his briefcase closer and pulled out some sort of bandage that he started to expertly wrap around the boy’s wrist. Killua had glanced down at the wrist still in his hand, rolling his fingers gently over the skin, feeling the bones shift. It would be so simple to break it… especially for someone like Hisoka.

Killua sighed, dropping Nutty’s wrist carelessly as he wandered over to collect the abandoned pigs. 

Thirty minutes of boringness later and here they were. Nutcase up and about (hood fixed back into place by Leorio before his waking), Leorio finishing the pigs, Gon being his excitable self, and waiting for Kurapika to come back with food for their starvation victim.

For some reason, though, he couldn’t stop thinking about the older boy now. Where had the scars come from, what had been doing before the exam, how had he survived so long on his own?

The questions were starting to drive him crazy. And he had exactly zero answers.


	5. Phase Two Continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper gets some pity points and Phase two concludes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for the comments! ;-; I adore them and value them very highly! Was I fishing for validation last time... yes, yes I was. But that validation is what keeps me writing. So, do I regret it? No, no I don't.
> 
> MOVING ON... This chapter has no Jas POV which should be a nice break from his confusing thoughts ahaha...

Gon peered at the screen of Jasper's phone curiously. It was a rather nice phone and seemed pretty high tech compared to what most people carried from what he had seen. He wondered where his friend had gotten it from.

“Oh, you should add Kurapika and Leorio on here too,” Gon hummed as he scanned the writing. It was nice to see he and Killua had an entire entry but Jas should know that he could trust the older teens in their group as well! Kurapika was really kind and smart and Leorio was nice and had some medical training. 

“Who are they?”

Gon laughed and pointed at Leorio who was currently organizing his briefcase and stuffing his jacket inside of it. “That’s Leorio! He wrapped your wrist and he’s really nice. And Kurapika is out getting something to eat.”

Jasper fidgeted next to him, fingers clenching on his phone. Honestly, Gon wished he could help him more than he was already doing. It was a bit of a repetitive job to keep reminding Jas about…. pretty much everything, but there was just something there that he really liked about the boy. He was sweet and funny and bright and-

Lonely.

He was seeing it more and more in the little things. And it was a very uncomfortable reminder of how, despite his excitement for adventure, Gon felt when he had left Whale Island. There’d been nothing wrong with his home and he loved Aunt Mito and Grandma very much (and everyone was very kind but there really weren’t many people who actually  _ lived  _ there) but- It was like he was missing something. He wanted more. And he hadn’t even realized that until he’d met Killua. Well… no… he’d sort of felt it when Kurapika and Leorio had tagged along with him- a kind of bubbly happy feeling- but he hadn’t really identified it until he was talking with Killua and Jas. They made him happy. All of them did. And that tiny part of him that felt like he was missing something soothed over.

He wanted to keep them all close.

It was different for Jasper, though. He seemed to be on his own for a long time now… or maybe he had been with someone but if he had, the boy certainly didn’t remember. And Gon  _ did _ notice that Jasper tended to avoid everyone except for him and Killua. He couldn’t be sure but he thought it had to do with their ages. If so… Gon was glad he was at an age that Jasper felt comfortable with because he could be friends with him. They both wouldn’t be lonely this way!

Jasper talking snapped him back to the present. “But… that’s an adult Gon.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

The cloaked boy’s finger pointed at Leorio who was now standing up to greet Kurapika who had appeared at the edge of their makeshift clearing. “Adult.”

So… age actually was a factor? Gon wasn’t sure why being an adult would be a problem. But if that was the issue then it was an easy fix! “Well, actually he’s a teenager.”

“EH!?”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the response. It did seem pretty unbelievable but Leorio hadn’t lied. And Jasper’s jaw hanging so low it was visible was pretty funny.

He knew everyone was watching them now, but kept his attention on Jas. The boy’s guard was down and it would be nice if it stayed that way. “He definitely doesn’t look like it! But he is! So, it should be okay to put him in your phone, right?”

Jasper’s mouth visibly opened and closed before he cleared his throat and answered, “I-I guess. Why am I putting him in my phone?”

“Because he can help! Kurapika will too! You should put their descriptions in your phone like you did for me and Killua.”

“O-oh. Okay.”

And despite sounding rather dazed he did turn back to his screen and start typing. Gon peered over his shoulder to watch.

Though, he was still rather worried about Jasper and his exhausted state- and he couldn’t forget how they’d found him terrified hours earlier- Gon was rather satisfied with how things were turning out. He was making really cool friends and all of his friends were helping each other.

Everything was going great!

* * *

Kurapika sighed as he brushed off the dirt on his tabard before storing the root in his bag. He really shouldn’t be going this far for another examinee, should just let the boy fail-

But… Jasper was only a child. A child that needed help and Kurapika wasn’t- he wasn’t cold-hearted. He knew he should be. He had to be to go after the lives of the Phantom Troupe… He didn’t want to be, though. It wasn’t Jasper that hurt his clan. So, there was no reason- especially if it wasn’t going to hurt his chances to pass the exam- for him not to extend help.

And… he couldn’t help but hate himself for even hesitating in the first place. Kurapika wanted to avenge his clan. He did not want to become callous like their murderers.

For a moment he had forgotten that.

He double checked his bag, looking over the collection of berries and roots he’d been able to gather. It wasn’t as much as he’d like but he wasn’t familiar with most plants in this forest and he didn’t want to accidentally poison the kid. Still, he’d been gone for long enough and this would have to suffice. With that thought in mind, he turned back to the area they’d set up the fire pits for roasting the giant pigs they’d caught.

It wasn’t very far, only a few minutes away as he’d just been circling, but it still left plenty of time for him to reflect. 

He didn’t regret following Gon but he was a bit chagrined to admit to himself that it might have been easier if he hadn’t. He would not have grown attached and he would not be having a mini crisis over his humanity and kindness. Then, of course, he would not have met the intriguing puzzle of Gon nor the kind hearted doctor, Leorio. He had no idea how he would act around Jasper if things had gone differently. Would he have truly sunk low enough to ignore an obvious child in need?

Kurapika sighed. It was better not to think of what ifs. He had enough problems with that as it was. He knew if he pursued that line of thought he’d only fall back into old thoughts of his clan. And while he would never let his rage go, he didn’t exactly want to fall back into the heavy despair of the first year after the massacre either.

For now he would focus on what he could do; what he was currently doing to help, and that was feeding the resident amnesiac. 

He found his way to the rest of the group quickly enough. They were settled around the area, Killua settled by the large pile of roast pigs, Gon hovering over Jasper’s shoulder, and Leorio fiddling with the contents of his briefcase. The latter was the closest and so he made his way over to the aspiring doctor.

“How did it go?”

The brunette glanced up with a grimace before closing his briefcase with a sigh. Well, that wasn’t exactly an inspiring reaction.

“Well, good news is I got his wrist wrapped. It really wasn’t that bad but it could have been if it hadn’t been addressed. Bad news is- well… hard to come to terms with.” Leorio scrubbed a hand through his hair, a frown on his lips, and shoulders sagging. 

Kurapika found himself frowning too. “Was it truly that bad?”

“Worse. Probably. I haven’t seen someone so thin in- in years. It’s not- good memories,” the man said haltingly. “And he’s got other injuries. Most old, some healing. I don’t know all of what the kids saw but they haven’t said anything yet. I just… that kid- ugh! I hate that I had to use his own head against him! And the connotations of not trusting adults-! There’s just-!”

“Leorio,” Kurapika cut in low and sharp.

“Sorry. Sorry…”

“You’re a good guy,” he hummed. “It’s a good thing you're able to help him, right?”

There was that grimace again. A hand came up to rub tiredly at the eye opposite of the still swollen flesh on Leorio’s face. “Yeah. Better than what he had before obviously. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t make me angry, though.”

“That is fair. But it’s probably best not to let Jasper know that.”

Most kids who avoided adults did so with very good reason. It was a hard learned lesson for Kurapika himself. Adults were supposed to help kids. Children had an innate trust for their guides in life… but there were always those that had their trust broken. Some more harshly than others.

“Probably,” the brunette agreed. With a short sigh, Leorio leaned down to scoop up his briefcase. “Times a wastin’. Best get a move on. We don’t know how many have passed yet.”

“Agreed. Let us move on. Oh,” he paused, glancing at the bandages he could see peeking out from Jasper’s wrist. “Can he carry his own pig? Will he be disqualified if he doesn’t?”

It was a fair question to ask. The pigs were not what one would call light in any form of the word. Gon and Killua seemed a few steps above normal children in the strength department but he hadn’t seen much from Jasper. Besides keeping up during the run (which was a feat in itself he could admit) the boy hadn’t really displayed any signs of being like the other two kids. He hadn’t really had the chance, either, but it still left his questions unanswered. 

And now Leorio looked as hesitant as he did. “He definitely can’t use his wrist. I don’t know if he’ll be able to carry it with one arm. And he’d have to at least present it by himself, right?”

“I suppose all we can do is ask?”

It turned out that Jasper could, in fact, carry the pig one handed, though there was a bit of a struggle to get it situated since he couldn’t pick it up easily. It eventually ended up with Kurapika hauling it into the air and settling it over the small boy’s shoulder until the kid had a good hold on it.

“Cool. Can we finally get this over with,” Killua huffed, boredom practically seeping from his pores.

“Right! Let’s go pass the second phase,” Gon cheered.

Killua smirked. “Race ya!” Then he took off with Gon chasing after him with a startled shout of, “Cheater!”

Jasper squeaked a breathy laugh and followed behind, somehow keeping pace even though his run didn’t look quite as effortless.

Kurapika watched them with a smile. The kids sure were energetic. It made his chest warm as he followed after, Leorio on his heels with a half-hearted complaint.

* * *

Menchi watched the applicants wander around the cooking stations in confusion. It was rather sad really how pitiful they all looked but she’d given them lots of hints already! And she really had a craving for sushi, so the Gourmet Hunter was looking forward to what would be presented. There had to be at least one person here that could make sushi.

Her stomach growled quietly. 

Ugh. Menchi was hungry, dammit. Couldn’t they hurry up?

She scanned the crowd again but this time her gaze snagged on a few oddities. First, the very Japponese looking man trying to hide his laughter. He probably knew how to make sushi and was laughing at all the others. Good news for her stomach. Second was the clown who was looking equal parts interested, confused, and murderous. Of course, it didn’t show on his face but he was practically blasting it with his nen. He was either unaware that he was doing so, or more likely, didn’t care.

Third, and most interesting was an actual group. Unlike most everyone else who was only semi-clustered, trying to spy on each other, there were five applicants that were actually closed in on themselves to block everyone else out. Well, mostly. The white haired brat was a bit more distant but he was still in the group’s orbit and the tiny robed thing was more inside the circle than a part of it-

Were they giving him food?

Menchi blinked, tapping her gong mallet against the back of the couch in interest. 

They definitely were.

The blonde one seemed to be quietly discussing something with the rest while also sneaking food over to the robed one every now and then. So far she’d seen a handful of berries and something that looked like a root disappear under the hood. 

Weird.

Interesting.

She’d have to keep an eye on that.

A few minutes later, she watched as they all scrambled for fish. She watched as they all absolutely butchered the art of making sushi. She watched and got more and more annoyed at each pitiful attempt.

So, when the tiny robed applicant appeared in front of her muttering, “Deliver the food, deliver the food,” she almost didn’t notice how thin his fingers and wrists were (one of them wrapped in a thick, stiff bandage that did little to help it look bigger) when he set the platter down in front of her. Unfortunately, she did notice and it made her heart seize in her chest because if there was one thing Menchi absolutely couldn’t stand (besides people making fun of Gourmet Hunters, of course) it was children going hungry. And this level of thinness usually indicated starvation.

She pursed her lips. Not much she could do about it right now… but it made a lot more sense why blondie had been subtly feeding this one.

With a sigh (and a mental promise to revisit this later), she pulled the lid off to gaze at the next, probably disgusting, attempt. It was shaped alright, kind of wonky but better than a lot of the other ones she’d seen so far. There was a thin cutting of fish on top and it was wrapped (or it was an attempt to look like a wrap, she couldn’t tell) with a small piece of freshwater seaweed. An… okay attempt at visual, definitely not up to her standards but better than most.

Next she picked up the small piece of sushi in her chopsticks and dipped one end into the sauce dish. Then she plopped it in her mouth.

“Urgh, too much vinegar! Fail,” she barked, completely overwhelmed with that all consuming disappointment that fed into her anger. The flavor was too overpowering, the rice harder than it needed to be, and the fish was definitely not a good pick for a sushi topping! 

She looked up and frowned at the applicant still in front of her. “Well? Get out of my sight! You failed.”

“Failed what?”

Her mouth popped open in surprise. Failed what!? “You failed to live up to the taste of sushi,” she growled, reaching forward to snag the robe so she could drag them up to her face, so she could look them in the eye. Nails immediately dug into her wrist but she wasn’t really worried about that… No, it was the gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes that made her pause.

Thin. So very very thin.

Menchi slowly closed her mouth, cutting off her rant as her anger slowly died back down. Instead she huffed and muttered, “You’re too thin kid. Go back to your little friends, alright?”

She set him back on his feet and released his robe. The kid wobbled for a moment before he turned around muttering, “Friends? Friends. Okay…” 

“Buhara… He’s so small,” she whispered, watching him wander for a moment before the tiny green kid ran over and dragged him back to their sullen group.

“You can’t do anything right now, Menchi,” the giant man rumbled pointedly. “You’re an examiner, after all.”

She groaned. Right. It was an honor to be chosen as an examiner but none of it was living up to her expectations! All of these examinees were worthless when it came to sushi! At this rate none of them were going to pass. Oh well, when it was all over and done with then she could track down the tiny boy to try to get him some nutritional help. Even if she had to try to apprentice him to get him away from whatever lifestyle he was living.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait much longer before she was full… or more like her stomach didn’t want to take anymore failed attempts at what she’d been craving. 

She hit the gong with her mallet giving a cheerful, “Sorry! I’m not hungry anymore!”

Buhara frowned down at her. “Menchi,” his tone was quiet but reproachful and only made her throw her nose in the air. “This wasn’t what was agreed upon.”

“I’m not changing my mind! We agreed that if it tasted good it was a pass and if it didn’t then it was a fail,” she huffed. Besides, the quicker this was over with, the quicker she could get a better look at the disaster that was the robed kid. He didn’t seem to be all there in the head, he was stick thin, and he was being helped by other examinees! He shouldn’t pass this exam! She’d train him up and then he could pass a later one.

“Second trial of the second phase, Cooking: None Qualified,” she announced loudly, cutting off whatever else Buhara was going to try to nag her about.

The larger man shook his head but turned his attention to the applicants when one of them smashed his station. Menchi frowned. Just because they could easily replace those, didn’t mean they didn’t cost a bit of money; they were state of the art, after all. She wouldn’t have anything less for people trying to cook for her.

“I didn’t come here to be a pathetic Gourmet Hunter. I’m going to be a blacklist hunter and no  _ gourmet _ will stop me!”

This uppity little prick had the nerve to make fun of Gourmet Hunters in front of her too. A brat with no nen talent, latent or otherwise, and he thought she’d let him get away with this?

“Well, that’s too bad,” she purred. “How unlucky that you were tested by two Gourmet Hunters then. Better luck next year!”

“Are you mocking me!?”

Oho. This prick really wanted to die. 

Before she could do more than grasp her knives that had been tucked into the back of the couch she’d been perched on, Buhara had already smacked the man away. She twitched and turned to her Examiner partner.

“I don’t recall asking for your help,” she bit out.

“Maybe not. But if I didn’t, you would have killed him, right?”

“Maybe,” she hummed. More like most definitely. No one looks down on Gourmet Hunters in front of her after all. So before anyone else could make such a drastic mistake, she graciously decided to explain things to the rest of the pathetic whelps. “It doesn’t matter what Hunter you want to be, all Hunters need to have perfect knowledge in the art of fighting.” She started juggling her knives, paying only half attention to what her hands were doing. It was a pretty display and a heavy warning not to mess with her. “Gourmet Hunters, for example, constantly delve into dangerous territories and fight many beasts to seek out new and amazing ingredients. And it's common to run into poachers and stop them. So despite what Hunter you want to be, you need to know how to fight! Will you be able to take on any challenge, even in a domain you don’t know?”

And then Netero himself decided to drop in and Menchi felt… well, a little bit sheepish. At his not quite scolding tone she couldn’t help but admit that she’d lost her temper. And maybe made it a bit too difficult.

Netero smiled at her when she offered to step down as judge. “Now, now. It would be too much trouble to replace you now. How about… as compensation for such a difficult menu, you’ll have to participate in the next test alongside all the other applicants!”

She could accept that.

After asking for a ride from the president (because she had the best idea of what to do next!) Menchi allowed herself to look around for the robed kid again. She was still an examiner so she couldn’t just go up to him and start trying to stuff him full of food, but she could at least start trying to work out what needed to be fixed and where she could help him improve. After all, though his sushi wasn’t up to her standards, it was still one of the better ones so he wasn’t completely hopeless.

On the Association Blimp, Menchi discreetly watched as the green kid started handing over some berries. Then the business looking man (Failed dish numero uno, the fish was still moving for goodness sake!) accepted another handful of berries from blondie that was then passed to the green one. A tangle of roots was handed to the white haired kid, who looked at it for a moment before stuffing it in his pocket.

So… they were all working together to feed the kid then. Huh. She had a feeling the skinny brat wasn’t good at accepting help, but that was fine. She could work with stubborn.

Unfortunately, her time for studying was cut short all too quickly when they arrived at Split Mountain. 

“Here it is,” she said, pointing to the gaping chasm as the applicants followed behind her. She stripped her boots, dropping them to the floor without preamble (because the whelps wouldn’t dare touch her stuff) before going to stand right on the edge. It took a moment of waiting but they’d come at a pretty good time, the breeze was already starting to kick up. Time to go then.

“Alright and hup!”

She could hear the exclamations above her before they were drowned out by the wind rushing in her ears and it put a smile on her lips. The egg retrieval went off without a hitch, the wind carrying her back up (it was always such a rush!). She grinned at the looks of stunned amazement on everyone’s faces.

“Now that’s more like!”

“Alright! This is gonna be so cool!”

“Action over cooking, heck yea!”

And suddenly that group of five, three of which had shouted in excitement, were launching themselves off the cliff. Menchi stared before blurting out in a panic, “I haven’t finished my explanation yet!”

But it was too late. She was left up here with the contestants that refused to go, and an amused Chairman.

Menchi bit her lip and crouched down near the ledge to look at what was going on. Everyone was hanging onto the string of the webs but she could already tell it was too much weight. The connections to the cliff face were started to strain and-

The little robed boy was… not among the members on the web strings? Had he already fallen? If he hit the river there was a chance of survival but- Dammit! She knew he wasn’t ready for the exam. He was tiny, starved, and if she remembered correctly, one of his wrists had been wrapped for support, so it was likely injured. She chewed on her lip. She couldn’t leave until the exam was over and they had different examiners that were set for retrieval but-

Wait.

She squinted, clutching her egg to her chest as she tried to see around the other applicants. From her angle, he’d been hidden because he was so small but- Yes! He was there! He was also not clinging like everyone else but was cautiously walking on top of the web line, stepping over people’s hands. 

That was… actually some really impressive balance considering the constant breeze that made the webs sway. It was hard to track him despite the fluttery robe because he kept disappearing under applicants that were on higher lines than him. Still, Menchi managed because she had a keen eye after years of being a Hunter. He made steady but slow progress until he was above one of the lower lines. Then he jumped and landed neatly, both feet on the corded silk swaying in time with the web.

The proud feeling welling up in her chest when the kid got to a nest before anyone else was a bit of a surprise. It made sense if she thought about it, this kid had so many odds stacked against him and he still did better than most others. So, when the high wind kicked up, Menchi was not surprised that he was the first back, and with an armful of eggs instead of just one. 

He needed all that protein so it was a good thing anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, do I have plans for Menchi! *rubs hands together gleefully* But not for a while sadly. I do love giving more depth to characters we don't see much of so I'm eager to eventually get to her little arc... in the far far far off future >>

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a review because they give me life and I love reading them!


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